Machine for conveying and distributing button-blanks.



APPLICATION FILED DEO.11, 1906.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' INVENTORI 8 2 M44 A OCATTORNE? i WITNESSES w col. wAsHmoraN, u. c.

1. DB FRANGISGI. MACHINE FOB CONVEYING AND-DISTRIBUTING BUTTON-BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.11, 1 906.

Patented Oct. 20,1908.

S m M W W I. DE PRANGI SGI.

MACHINE FOR CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING BUTTON BLANKS.

APPLIGATION FILED DEG-11; 1906.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

5 SHEETS-BEBE! 3.

I. DE FRANGISGI. MACHINE FOR CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING BUTTON BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 11, 1906.

901,893. Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

5 BHEETB-SHEET 4.

a e 3 ,a

WITNESSES I INVEATOR gmwwf w I I. DE PRANGISGI. MACHINE ron CONVEYINGAND DISTRIBUTING BUTTON BLANKS. APPLICATION FILED 19110.11, 1906.

901,893, v Patented Oct. 2Q 1908.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

27'. ay & 10 8 WITNESSES 'IHEnoRRIs PETERS 330., WASHINGTON, nc IGNAZIODE FRANCISOI OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FDR CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING BUTTON-BLANKS.

Application filed December 11, 1906.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.'

Serial No. 347,316.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IGNAZIO DE FRAN- oIsoI, a subject of the King ofItaly, and resident of the city of New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines for Conveying and Distributing Button-Blanks, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention refers to improvements in button machines and especiallyto apparatus for delivering button blanks or similar articles to specialdevices, whereon the blanks are worked upon in any suitable manner forthe purpose of making finished buttons therefrom.

The new and useful features of the in vention, forming the subjectmatter of the present application, comprise that part of a buttonmachine, by means of which the blanks are removed from a storage tableor container and conveyed to and distributed unto a receiving table, forthe purpose hereinabove already specified. This distributing meanscomprises a pair of rotating members on a common shaft and situated inparallel planes and operated by means of a rotatable receiving disk. Oneof the members removes a blank from the exit of an inclined table andconveys the same through a conduit to a place where it slips upon asecond table and within reach of the second member, and by this memberis finally conveyed unto its proper place upon the receiving table.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a vertical section of the entireconveying part of a button machine, Fig. 2 a top view of the same, Figs.3, 1, 5, 6 and 7 details of construction of the reciprocating receivingbar, Figs. 8, 9 and 10 details of construction of. the rotatingdistributing members, Figs. 11, 12, 13 and 14 details of construction ofan auxiliary device for the rotatable receiving table, and Figs. 15, 16and 17 a modification of the distributing members.

The usual inclined table or chute 1 of a button machine is provided witha reciprocating bar 2- at the lower end thereof, as now well known inthe art, and having passages 3, for receiving button blanks from theinclined table and passing the same to the distributing devices,hereinafter to'be described. The reciprocating bar 2 is operated bymeans of a connection between the rotating parts of the delivery deviceand comprising a pivot 4; and a connecting rod 5, a guide bar 6 andguide brackets 7, whereby the rotary motion of the delivery devicescauses a reciprocating motion of the bar 2.

The delivery devices are arranged on a horizontal table 8 and comprise ashaft 9 on that table, provided, in the first instance, with a disk 10,having a series of radial eX- tensions 11, and at their ends receivingshovels 12. The operating bar 2 is pivoted at 13 to this disk 10.

Button blanks, located on the inclined table 1, enter into the passages23 of the bar 2 and are then moved so that one of the same is placed inposition to slide into the passage or conduit 17, leading to asemicircular path 18. In order to prevent the passing of a button intothe passage 17 before the prior button has slid down the in cline intothe conduit 17, a closure is pro vided for that passage, comprising amovable bar 14:, the movement of which is controlled by springs 15 and16 in two directions. When a button has passed into the conduit 17 andwithin the reach of the shovels 12, it is taken hold of by one of theapproaching receiving shovels 12, and moved along the semicircular path18, until it slides off unto the platform 19.

Should it occur that one of the blanks is delayed in passing off fromthe passage 3 of the reciprocating bar 2 into the conduit 17, it maycause a serious obstruction of the movement of the reciprocating bar. Inorder to facilitate this passing off, the entrance to the conduit 17 isprovided with movable members 20 on a pivot 21, and controlled by aspring 22, so that when a blank should enter the passage 17 only partly,the reciprocating bar 2 will push the blank against one of the movablemembers 20, whereby the blank is removed from the path of thereciprocating bar and slides down the passage 17 the movable member 20,being controlled by the spring 22, returns to its normal position.

Following further the travel of the blank, it will be seen that theblank located on the platform 19 is within the path of travel of therotating member 23, which consists of a series of radial arms 24, havingsuitable recesses 25 at the ends thereof. The arms tion of which is soregulated that the button blank, held in the recess 25 of the arm 24,drops into the head of one of the chucks 30, whereby it gets out ofrange of the recess 25 and by the rotation of the table 29 may bedelivered to any other part of the machine for further manipulation. Thedisk or table 29 is secured to a rotatable shaft 26, receiving itsrotation by means of a pulley 27 and a driving belt 28-, from anysuitable source of power. The lower extensions of the chucks 30, at thesame time, are instru mental in imparting rotation to the shaft 9, uponwhich the members 23 and 10 are secured. The direct means for thispurpose comprises a camwheel 31, having surfaces cooperating with thechucks 30, so that, in the form of the machine illustrated in thedrawings, each chuck causes a rotation of 90 of the shaft 9, and as theradial arms 11 of the member 10 and 24 of the member 23 are arranged atright angles to each other and the radial arms of the one member inrelation to the similar arms of the other member set or placed at 45, itwill be seen that each chuck corresponds, in turn, to one radial arm oneach of the rotatable members, and in course of the operation of theapparatus, an easy and efficient distribution of the button blanks untothe heads of the chucks takes place.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 illustrate an auxiliary device for guiding thebutton blanks into the heads of the chucks 30, after they have beenengaged by recess 25 of the radial arms 24. The device comprises an arm37, adjustably secured to the table 8, and having bearings 38, forcarrying a casing 39, provided with a rotatable roller 40 ofconsiderable weight. A spring blade 41, preferably integral with thecasing, presses upon the roller 40 and the apparatus is arranged in theway as shown in Fig. 11, so that a button dropped off the platform 19and not finding its proper place in the head of one of the chucks 30, isguided into this place by the casing 39 and the roller 40, since thisblank in the course of the rotation of the table 29 comes in the path ofthis casing and roller.

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 illustrate a modification of the delivery device forbutton blanks unto the chucks of the rotatable table 29. The rotatingmember 10 and its driving means are identical with the similar device,heretofore described. The means for removing the button blanks from theplat form 19 unto the chucks 30 comprise an oscillating shaft 32,movably located in a bearing of the table 8 and a bracket 33, andprovided with an operating arm 34, corresponding to the radial arms 24and the recess 25, of the rotating member 23, heretofore described. Theshaft 32 is oscillated by means of a rod 35, located with one end in thepath of the rotation of the lower extensions of the chucks 30 andcapable of being pushed aside by each of the chucks, causing the arm 34to engage a button blank on the platform 19 and push it off unto thetable 29, while the return of the arm 34 and its shaft 32 to normalposition is brought about by the spring 36, fastened to the shaft 32.

The advantages of the present apparatus consist in a very simple way ofengaging the button blank sliding off the inclined delivery table andarranging the same in suc cessive order, and finally delivering the sameto the operating means of the machine without the use of complicatedapparatus, such as pneumatic devices, heretofore in use.

As new and useful is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patentof the United States 1. In a button machine, the combination with aninclined table capable of delivering button blanks, of a horizontaltable having a conduit, a support, said conduit leading from saidinclined table to said support, a rotatable shaft, a conveyer on saidshaft and adapted to receive said blanks from the said inclined tableand convey same along said conduit and deliver them to said support, areceiving table, a second conveyor on said shaft located in a planeparallel to the plane of and beneath said first conveyer and above theplane of said support and adapted to engage said blanks on said supportand convey them to said receiving table.

2. In a button machine, the combination with an inclined table capableof delivering button blanks, of a horizontal table having a conduit, asupport, said conduit lea ding from said inclined table to said support,a rotatable shaft, a conveyer on said shaft and adapted to receive saidblanks from the said inclined table and convey same along said conduitand deliver them to said support, a receiving table at the base of saidinclined table, a second conveyer on said shaft located in a planeparallel to the plane of and beneath said first conveyer and above theplane of said support and adapted to engage said blanks on said supportand convey them to said receiving table.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 8th day of November, A. D. 1906.

IGNAZIO DE FRANCISCI.

\Vitnesses FRANK DEGLARA, SIGMUND HERzoe.

